Picture this. Youโve been mentally preparing to start or continue writing something youโre excited about. Maybe itโs a TV pilot, a short film, or even a feature. You finally sit down in front of your laptop screen (or your notebook if youโre old school).
This is it! Suddenly, your mind draws a total blank. Sound familiar?
Sounds like you’ve got a nasty case of writer’s block. Before diving into solutions, understand its roots in our comprehensive guide: What is Writer’s Block (and Why Does it Happen)?
If youโre a writer, chances are youโve experienced writerโs block too many times to count. Weโve all been there, and thereโs no question that itโs not a fun thing to feel. As daunting as it may seem when youโre in the thick of it, there are proven strategies to overcome this dreaded phenomenon.
Try out one or two of these strategies and get right back on the writing path. Once you come out the other side, youโll feel all types of victorious and stronger than you did before!
How to Overcome Writerโs Block
Mindset & Motivation
Creative Techniques
Process & Structure
Collaboration & Support
Environmental Adjustments
1: Set Manageable Goals
When you have nothing but a blank page sitting in front of you, there are few things more intimidating than thinking about your ultimate end goal. An entire, polished, producible script? With this mindset, it may feel like youโre setting out to accomplish the impossible, but thatโs just not true.
Instead of staring at a blank page and willing the entire story to appear out of thin air, why not set a more attainable goal? How about writing five pages? How about completing two scenes? When you set small, manageable milestones, youโre setting yourself up for success. A script doesnโt get written in a day, and baby steps are the best way to make it to the finish line.
2: Dare to Fail
C.S. Lewis said, โFailures are finger posts on the road to achievement.โ Albert Einstein said, โFailure is success in progress.โ Insert your favorite inspirational quote about failure here – there are countless incredible ones for a reason!
The fact of the matter is that failure is all part of the process, and the more you do it, the closer youโll be to success. Make big swings, take creative risks, and see where they take you!
3: Reward Yourself
Rewards systems arenโt only for pets and kids! Writing is hard work, and when you manage to accomplish what you set out to do, you deserve some recognition.
Buy yourself an ice cream when you hit page 10, play video games for half an hour after finishing your outline, or allow yourself to buy that pair of shoes youโve been eyeing when you wrap up act one. Little rewards and incentives can act as motivation to keep going.
4: Journal Your Heart Outย
If you have a lot of brain chatter going on internally preventing you from focusing on your story, give journaling a go. Journaling is a great way to get the things youโre anxious about or preoccupied with on the page and out of your mind.
Julia Cameron, the author of acclaimed creative guide, The Artistโs Way, swears by Morning Pages. Morning Pages involve doing three pages of stream-of-consciousness journaling first thing every morning. With this method, youโll start your day with a clear head and an open mind.
5: Write Something Else
Take some of the pressure off of yourself and pivot to something new! Itโs easy to get tunnel vision about your idea if thatโs the only creative project youโre focusing on. Instead, try writing something else.
Whether itโs another script, or a different medium entirely, switching gears can clear out the cobwebs. Write a poem, come up with a joke, or compose a silly song. Donโt be precious! Get something different out there, and youโll feel better for it.
6: Prompts Are Your Friends
Youโve got to start somewhere, so why not start with a prompt? Though it may make you feel like youโre back in high school English class, writing prompts can be your friends. Theyโre are a great jumping off point, and take the pressure off of the big bad blank page.
If you have a collaborator, try to take turns giving each other prompts, or you can find something that piques your interest on lists like these. You may surprise yourself with what comes out when you take your writing in a whole new direction.
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7: Hone Your Craft
No matter how long youโve been a writer, thereโs always more to learn. If youโre finding yourself frustrated with a lack of of ideas, or tools to figure out story structure, why not go into student mode?
There are so many great free resources at your disposal! There are blogs on craft like Celtxโs, and massive databases of scripts where you can suss out the mechanics. You can purchase books, like Save the Cat, Story, The Artistโs Way, Screenplay, or borrow them from your local library. Take everything you read with a grain of salt, use what works for you, and throw away what doesnโt.ย
Start here: Best Screenwriting Books for Beginners | The Ultimate List
8: Gain Inspiration
What is writerโs block if not a lack of inspiration? Step away from your screen and get inspired by revisiting an old favorite piece of content. Or, give something new a go!
Rewatch a movie you couldnโt stop talking about a few years back, or read the first few chapters of that novel youโve had on your bedside table for months. Diving into other stories can be a great, and subtly productive, form of attention diversion.
Learn from the best, and think critically about what worked so well in the films, shows, and books that have been sources of inspiration. All great artists get inspired by others, so there’s no shame!ย
9: Follow a Routine
Finding time in your busy schedule to write can be a challenge, but making it not only a priority, but a planned part of your day is essential. Though inspiration is important, itโs not something you can rely on. Instead, establish a routine, and stick to it.
Many of the masters of the craft attribute their success to their daily regimen.
In his book, On Writing, prolific novelist Stephen King outlines his routine which starts at the same time, in the same place, every day, and involves a daily quota of six pages, or 2,000 words (whichever comes first). He explains that, โdoing these things the same way every day seems to be a way of saying to the mind, youโre going to be dreaming soon.โ
Whether you have an hour to spare in the morning, or thirty minutes before bed, designating time to your craft will pay off.
10: Outlines Save the Day
As tempting as it may be to start writing scenes right off the bat, any serious writer will tell you that outlines are essential. Writing a story without an outline is like driving without a seatbelt. You may be fine at first, but when you hit a road bump, youโll wish you had that safeguard to keep you covered.
Once you master your outline, writing your script will not only feel like a breeze, itโll be fun! The tricky, structural parts will be behind you, and youโll be able to switch into play mode. Certain aspects of your story may change along the way, but youโll still be glad that you did the work ahead of time.ย ย
Related Reading: Yes, You Need a Screenplay Outline. Hereโs How to Write One
11: Deadlinesย
As much as you may be tempted to avoid them at all costs, deadlines exist to keep your progress onย track. No need to be too ambition with these, but challenge yourself at least a little.ย
It can be tricky to hold yourself accountable. Whoโs going to say anything if youโre the only one who knows you missed a deadline? Consider bringing someone else into the fold who will check in to make sure youโre meeting your goals.
12: Do the Thing
At the end of the day, the only failsafe way of beating writerโs block is to, well, write. Though it can feel debilitating and permanent, the truth is that the block youโre feeling is all in your head.
Even if nothing you get on the page is worth keeping down the road, youโll feel so much better knowing that youโve written something.
13: Find a Collaborator
Being a writer can be a lonely pursuit. If youโre feeling stuck, lacking inspiration, and donโt see a way forward, it might be time to find a collaborator.
Some of the best screenwriters out there write as part of a team. The Daniels. Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson. The Duplass Brothers. The Coen Brothers. Simon Peg and Edgar Wright. The list goes on!
There are many advantages to having a writing partner. From splitting the work, to developing story ideas together, two heads are better than one, after all! Meeting your screenwriting match isnโt always easy, but if you do find someone you connect with creatively, itโs worth giving it a shot.
14: Phone a Friendย
Maybe youโve not been able to find a writing partner that you mesh with. Itโs hard to find that perfect creative match! Even if youโre still writing solo, other people in your life can still come in handy.
If youโre feeling stuck on a particular part of your outline, or youโre not sure if that scene you wrote makes sense, get a second opinion. Call a friend you trust, and see what they think. They donโt need to be a writer themselves to offer honest insight. Youโll be surprised how helpful their thoughts can be!
15: Channel your Inner Interior Designerย
It may sound silly, but having a place to write that is both comfortable and nice to look at will take you far. No need to break the bank with this! Hang up a postcard that reminds you of a trip you went on, buy a new notebook, or have a bulletin board where you keep tabs on your to-do list.
Your writing environment can make all the difference. Go with your gut, and make the space your own! How do you expect the magic to happen, if your immediate surroundings donโt feel magical?
16: Switch It Up
Even if youโve crafted the ideal writing environment, sometimes you need a new perspective to get things going again. Different environments offer different distractions. You may find it helpful to give yourself some variety.
Spend a few hours at the library or the cafe on the corner. Hang out at your friendโs house and do some coworking. Even testing out a new room in your house could get the juices flowing.
17: Work It Out
When youโre trying to overcome writerโs block, one of the worst things you can do is just sit around and hope inspiration strikes. Instead of moping and lounging, get your body moving!
Thereโs lots of science out there which proves that exercise keeps your brain nimble. Over time, exercise improves your mood, your memory, and your overall cognitive function. Whatโs not to love about that?
You donโt need to be an athlete to take advantage of this strategy. Go for a brisk walk around the block, or do some gentle yoga. Every little bit will help take your brain off your fixation on the block youโre experiencing.
Writing Exercises to Overcome Writers Block
Now letโs dive into some specific writing techniques you can use to boost your creativity and banish writerโs block for good:
Pomodoro Technique
This technique is commonly used to boost productivity in almost all professions and industries.
Set a timer for 25 minutes and just start writing. It could be anything to do with your current project, or something completely new. You just need to keep writing continuously for those 25 minutes until the timer beeps.
After this, take a 5-minute break away from your desk. Make a cup of tea, walk around the house. Whatever it may be, ensure you return to your desk once the 5 minutes are up, and start again, setting another 25-minute timer.
Repeat these steps three times. The results may just surprise you.
30-Minute Challenge
This exercise is great to build awareness of what distracts you and how you can remove those distractions from your work and head space. Itโs best to do at the end of the day but can be done at any time.
Once again, set a timer, but for 30 minutes this time. Write down all the events in your day. At the end of the 30 minutes, take note of all the things that distract you in your writing process. These could be thoughts, noises, interruptions, people, pets, anything at all.
The internet is an all-too-common distraction for writers who can become lost in Google searches and research, as well as social media. If this is the case for you, why not try pen and paper for a while, away from any screens.
Or if you find itโs other people in the house distracting you, why not try taking some time when the house is quiet, or find a fresh writing space in which to work?
Try this exercise one day after another, each time applying the techniques to cure the distractions you identified. Repeat until you have found the best writing and head space possible for you.
People Watching
The people around us have huge influences on our work, whether we interact with them or not. Take yourself out into the world and listen to conversations and how people interact with each other.
You donโt just have to stick to coffee shops. Listen to conversations at the grocery store, in the street. Catching snippets of peopleโs exchanges can also help spark your creativity; what were they going to say next? How do they know each other? What if they had said โthisโ instead?
Take the connections you observe and mould them into something new.
Conclusion
Much like failure, writerโs block is part of life if youโre a writer. The thing that sets great writers apart from the rest is how they choose to overcome it. When you feel the fear creep in at the sight of a blank page, fear not!
Try out one of the methods above, and youโll be back on track in no time.
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